Police hit squads armed with a batch of warrants brought crooks to justice in Operation Sabre sweeps on Teesside.

A total of 30 targets, wanted for flouting community rehabilitation orders, were identified in the one-day operation in Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool on October 12.

Of those, 15 were collared and hauled before the courts yesterday.

Sergeant Noel Young, from Cleveland Police's Operation Sabre team, said: "Again, this was a joint operation between the police, probation and courts to crack down on those people who think they can flout the law by breaching community rehabilitation orders handed out by the courts as punishment for other offences.

"People can expect further operations in the coming weeks and months."

The strikes were part of Cleveland Police's biggest-ever co-ordinated crackdown on crime - codenamed Operation Sabre.

Police chiefs vowed to hunt down every prolific car crook, burglar, robber, drug dealer, thief and yob in the operation which is designed to scare crooks and reassure the public.